


citrus and smoke

by sugaroons (padfooted)



Series: thaumaturgy [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, HP AU, Hogwarts AU, M/M, blood purists, really this is gratuitously angsty, reformed purebloods, regulus black! min yoongi, yoongi's reader is gender neutral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 03:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11866188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfooted/pseuds/sugaroons
Summary: min yoongi is the little king, the heir to the most illustrious line of purebloods. he’s prepared to fulfill his destiny—the one his older brother had thrown away—until the illusion breaks, the blood on his hands too much to bear.seven magical boys across the eras, reimagined.(inspired by namjoon's sorting the boys into different houses, but way more angsty than expected.)





	citrus and smoke

When Min Yoongi is nine years old, he loses a loved one forever.

Yoongi is born less than two years after his older brother. He's a runt of a child, sickly and skinny and small. Yoongi’s size makes him invisible: he often overhears the adults who visit, the ones who call him a 'poor specimen’ and tell his parents they're lucky their first child is such a success. Yoongi cries himself to sleep, but he agrees: for the first ten years of Yoongi's life, his brother is his sun, moon, and stars.

In a home like theirs, where Mother is bored unless she's gossiping with other pureblood socialites, and Father is always out negotiating deals with foreign merchants, Yoongi and his brother take care of each other. Only his brother will help him get the books he wants from the top shelf, will run at half the speed so Yoongi can catch him, and watch stars with him on the roof of their manor. When Yoongi is nine years old, he sends his brother off to Hogwarts with tears welling in his eyes.

He gets his first letter by owl a day after classes begin. Yoongi can tell from the look in Father’s eyes and the tightness around Mother’s mouth that something is wrong. “Gryffindor.” Mother spits the word out like a curse, and Yoongi knows, then, that something has been irrevocably broken.

Yoongi continues to receive weekly letters until the second month. He suspects it’s because of the group of friends his brother has made: an old-money pureblood Mother and Father would approve of; a half-blood whose books are the only thing more worn than his robes; and an awkward fourth boy whose name his brother can barely remember. Yoongi is comforted by the thought that someone like Kim Seokjin made friends with someone as great as his brother. Maybe going to Hogwarts will be better than Yoongi expects.

* * *

 When Min Yoongi is sixteen years old, he becomes the heir of his bloodline.

The Mins celebrate with a lavish affair, their manor filled with pureblood guests and free-flowing elderflower. Only the best for their _only_ son, Mother declares to her friends, with a smile and tightness around her eyes. Yoongi weaves his way through the circles gracefully, the perfect pureblood son. It's the best revenge on those who'd called him a runt, but it all feels empty. With each interaction, Yoongi cannot help but wonder how his brother would have spoken, how much charm or guile or bluntness he would have used.

He makes it to the end of the room mentally exhausted, and his brows furrow at the sight of an almost-familiar face. You’re in his—what is it?—Potions class, he thinks, and in Slug Club with him right after. He racks his brain trying to remember what your name was, but he’s drawing a blank. You’re not part of the Sacred 28, but evidently your parents are important enough, or possibly, rich enough, to warrant your presence at his party. He reaches you right as your guardian leaves, and you’re all alone, swirling your glass of sparkling champagne and staring at it with disdain. “Hello,” he says with a nod.

You smile at him pleasantly enough, but you narrow your eyes like you’re trying to remember something. “Ah, Yoongi-sshi!” you say suddenly, your eyes wide.

Had you forgotten his name at his own celebration? His mouth quirks up in a smirk of disbelief. “Yes, that’s me.” Clearly, _someone_ had failed their pureblood etiquette classes. It makes Yoongi all the more curious, enough not to return to his Father’s side like he’d planned.

“The decorations are lovely. Compliments to your mother’s excellent taste,” you say with a smile, the words coming out like you were reading them from a page. Yoongi narrows his eyes at you, impatience written all over his face. He’d come across many people playing the manipulation game, and you’re either a real rookie or not trying at all. Or, perhaps, a test from his mother. At that thought, his mind clears.

Yoongi regains his composure and lets his face assume a more neutral expression. “I’ll be sure to tell her,” he says. “You’re familiar with our family’s motto?”

“Yes,” you murmur, studying the flower arrangements, “amaranth and white lilies, _toujours pur_ , I should have seen it earlier.” You beam at him, and the genuineness of the smile almost has him taken aback. You seem to be a stray kitten walking into a den of vipers. “Always pure, hmm. How far back can you trace your ancestry?”

“As far back as it matters, I suppose?” Yoongi raises an eyebrow, making a mental note to review his family tapestry. Surely the purity of their bloodline was ensured?

“‘As it matters,’ I see,” you say dismissively, the fake smile back on your face. “I suppose that’s why Mama wanted me to talk to you so badly. I apologize for taking so much of your time, Yoongi-sshi.” You bow your head once and scurry away, the champagne nearly spilling from your glass as you walk briskly.

Yoongi works to keep his face stoic at one of the most oddly _honest_ interactions he’s had in over four years. He feels a tinge of annoyance at how easily you’d dismissed the importance of bloodlines but cannot deny how refreshing it was to speak to you. More importantly, he did not think of his brother once during your whole conversation. Letting out a quiet snort, Yoongi faces the rest of the night feeling a little less tense than before, his eyes drifting to the lilies found in every corner of the room.

* * *

 The first time Yoongi remembers his mother smiling directly at him is when he gets his Hogwarts letter. The Mins are entertaining guests that day, and Mother needs to maintain her perfect image. Yoongi nods once, promising to live up to the family name.

Yoongi’s older brother runs off to his friends as soon as they’re at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, leaving Yoongi and his father behind. Father pats him on the shoulder, and Yoongi tells himself not to get used to it, to keep his face stoic. Amidst the noise on the platform—mothers kissing their daughters goodbye, sisters telling their little brothers scary stories about the Whomping Willow, bright-eyed children waving at their older siblings—the place where the Mins stand seems bleak, two figures clad in black, silent and somber.

The other first-years chatter excitedly to one another on the boats across the Great Lake. Yoongi is silent, listening to them and trying to sound out responses in his head. When he can’t think of what to say, he dismisses them as young and inane, instead searching for the Squid in the depths below.

“My, my,” the Sorting Hat says when it’s placed on Yoongi’s head. “So much ambition in you, isn’t there? So much greed and want, and the will to make everything happen. Clever, too.” Yoongi smirks, though he feels a spark of joy at being recognized for what he’s wondered about all along. “Yes, there’s no question about it. You belong in…SLYTHERIN!”

The cheers and applause Yoongi gets as he walks to the table, the feeling of belonging among the students clad in silver and green, the looks of admiration as they find out his last name: all of these Yoongi claims as his birthright.

* * *

 The first time Yoongi remembers Slughorn looking directly at him is his first sixth-year Potions class. Maybe it’s because he’s finally the Min heir, or maybe it’s the fact that Yoongi’s grades are the highest in his year. Either way, something about Min Yoongi is indelibly different, and his head of house cannot help but notice.

Min Yoongi’s assigned partner had the second-highest OWL score. He’s more surprised that it’s you he ends up partnered with, though he should have known, before seeing you in the blue-and-bronze-lined robes, that you’d be in Ravenclaw. Thankfully, Slughorn says your name, so Yoongi can address you properly when he needs something done.

“Chop chop chop,” he says, tossing you the roots you’ll be needing for the experiment. You shrug, taking the roots and slicing them just so, the juice seeping from them like blood from a wound. Yoongi’s only seen his house elf do it that way before, and the simple efficiency of it has Yoongi trying to make conversation. “No comments on the meaning of these plants?” he says.

You look at him, making a face. “Mama has given up on marrying me to anyone. You’re the most eligible young bachelor, now, and she wanted a last hurrah from me, but what can I say?” You shrug, the lopsided smile on your face more charming than you think. “I’m hopeless.”

“Spoken like a true Ravenclaw,” Yoongi says as he begins to heat the cauldron up.

“You’d be surprised, Min Yoongi, at how many Slytherins end up dying from poisoned potions,” you say, gesturing with your knife. You laugh a little, then, before saying, “House stereotypes are silly, anyhow, but not as bad as blood purity reasoning.”

Yoongi doesn’t think any Slytherin in his year would ever talk like you, but he keeps that to himself. The two of you make the potion quickly and quietly, as you will the rest of the year. Odd comments aside, you’re probably the best Potions partner Yoongi’s had so far. Both you and Yoongi have plans to take Potions NEWTs, so Slughorn assigns you extra work, and the two of you find yourselves working on assignments together in the library, or after hours at the top of Ravenclaw tower. Tonight is one such night, your study session lit by the bright full moon.

“Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you weren’t a pureblood?” you say, scribbling some notes on your enchanted parchment. As they appear on Yoongi’s own sheet, he marks them with his comments, then taps at his chin with the feather-end of his quill.

“I wouldn’t be me,” he says simply. “What would be left?” Not his housemates’ respect, nor his parents’ love. Maybe his older brother. Yoongi doesn’t want to go down that rabbit hole, refuses to think about how his brother is out right now with his gang of friends, in the Shrieking Shack with their werewolf of a housemate.

You look at him, then, incredulity in your tone but sympathy on your face, as if you’ve read his mind. “Many things, Yoongi.” You reach out and pat his hand, your eyes focused on his. He looks away first, uncomfortable with the intimacy of the moment. Most people tend to keep him at arm’s length, especially now that he’s the Min heir.

“Doesn’t look like this potion we’re writing up will be one of them, especially if we keep staring at the moon,” you say lightly, changing the subject. You shift closer to him, though, your arm touching his as you write. Yoongi doesn’t move away.

* * *

 There’s something about Min Yoongi that has his housemates clamouring for his approval. Maybe it’s the careless way with which he speaks his mind, his words as sharp as a well-filed blade. Yoongi doesn’t play quidditch, gets excellent marks, and doesn’t party—by normal Slytherin standards, he’d be at the bottom of the food chain. In his eyes, however, is a hungry look, one that warns his housemates not to get in his way.

No one dares mention Yoongi's older brother, who's growing to be more of a blood traitor with each passing day. He and Yoongi acknowledge each other in the halls with a quick nod, though his brother's friends glance at him as if he were something strange. Yoongi maintains the cool façade, but misses his brother dearly.

The red and gold posters begin to appear in his brother's room, along with paraphernalia that clearly isn't of the wizarding world, and Yoongi begins to worry. He knows his older brother's friends aren't the type of people Mother and Father would approve of, but this was something different. Still, Yoongi has faith that his brother will do the right thing. He would never leave Yoongi behind.

He does and leaves Min Yoongi devastated, all the more determined to be the perfect pureblood son. When Yoongi graduates, he is immediately assigned as the executive assistant to the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It’s a desk job with a lot of glory attached, and Yoongi receives many simpering letters from the purebloods trying to suck up to him, still trying to find a place at his side. You send him a pleasant enough message, but he knows you’re disappointed he didn’t take a job he’d actually enjoy, one he’d feel fulfilled in. Never mind, he thinks, how much did your opinion matter? He ignores the sinking feeling in his gut as no new owls from you come in, your last words to him being a cold, sterile congratulations.

* * *

 There’s something about Min Yoongi that you can’t put your finger on, something different about him five months after graduation. You’re looking him up and down, watching him standing on your doorstep. He is, weary and worn, skinny and pale like a waning moon. You pull him into your small flat and lock the door, turning around to find he’s dropped a concealment charm. Yoongi stands there, blood streaking his cheeks and bruises all over his arms. Wordlessly, he yanks his sleeve up and shows you his Dark Mark.

The moment stretches on, your breaths and his the only sounds in the room. Yoongi is afraid he’s made the wrong decision: maybe you’ve misunderstood, or maybe you’ll report him to the Ministry, or maybe you’ve been his mother’s spy all along. You rush at him, and Yoongi shuts his eyes and prepares for the worst—he could never hurt you—not expecting the feeling of your arms around his neck. The angle is awkward, and he’s getting blood all over your clothes, but Yoongi tucks himself into your embrace. Your shirt becomes wet with the tears he’s held in since he first took the Mark, from the moment he’d been made to torture a muggle then obliviate them after. “It’s too much,” he says between gasps, and you hold him tighter but say nothing.

Beneath the smell of smoke and blood and dark magic—a scent overly sweet, like fruit on the verge of rot—is the smell of clean citrus and Min Yoongi, the Yoongi of your Hogwarts nights in the starlight. In his embrace you feel his repentance. When you clutch him close to you, the warmth of your body seeping through the chill of his cloak on a cold, stormy night, he knows he can place his life in your hands.

You instruct him on how to use your muggle shower, turning the heater on and showing him which knobs to twist. For a moment, Yoongi is tempted to ask you to stay, if only so he won’t be alone, but he can’t find the right words to say. Yoongi lets the shower run on his clothes, standing there for what feels like hours. He startles when someone knocks at the door, his hand going to his wand, and he doesn’t put it down till he hears your muffled voice telling him you’ve left some clothes out. Yoongi foregoes wearing the dark sweater you’ve lent him; even the soft fabric would rub against the wounds on his torso. He pulls on the loose pajama pants and pads downstairs in your soft slippers.

Sitting him down on your kitchen counter, you get to work, pouring him a cup of black tea while you pour liquids from different vials into a big metal bowl. Yoongi recognizes Murtlap essence and dittany leaves when you bring it beside him. The look on your face is blank as you place a towel into the mixture, squeeze it, and begin to wipe it over his chest. He realizes that you’re counting his wounds in your head, your breathing becoming unsteady as you continue to heal his wounds. You bite your lip, and Yoongi resists the urge to wipe the tears at the corner of your eyes. “It’s too much,” he says again, his voice hoarse. You look up at him briefly, and Yoongi knows you can feel how quickly his heart beats in his chest, like it’s threatening to burst.

“He’s inhu-human.” Yoongi stutters as your hands, cold from the liquid, make their way across his back, taking the viscous drops from the bowl and rubbing them into his larger wounds. “I’ve done horrible things in the past few months, but today they asked me to kill someone, a house elf that was too slow in its service. I hesitated and was punished for my disloyalty. I’m lucky I’m not dead.” Yoongi sounds detached, but his fists clench in anger. You place one hand on his, and he holds it loosely.

“I mean it literally when I say he’s a monster. His soul, it’s split into pieces, and one of them is in Slytherin’s locket.” His whisper is fierce, his grasp on your hand tightening. “My house elf, the one he wanted me to kill, knows where he hid it.” You wait for him to say more, but it seems he’s waiting for something.

He’s watching you like a cornered animal, readying himself for whatever response you’ll give. Disgust, fear, disappointment: all of them, he deserves, and all of them he’s prepared to hear, but you still manage to surprise him. “My parents decided to leave this blasted country two weeks ago.” Your tone is light as you squeeze the towel over the bowl, the liquid turning light brown with blood before growing clear once more. “Business is better abroad, they told me, asking me to follow.”

You lean in, gingerly pulling him close. The scent of your soap is strong on him, you think as he wraps his arms around you, keeping you in place without force. You sigh, your breath hot against his damp hair. “Where do we begin?”

* * *

 It is an hour past midnight, but the sea is alive, crashing loudly against the rocks by the cave. Yoongi had prepared to say his last goodbyes to you, but here you are, standing with him and his house elf at what looks like the entrance to hell. He wants and does not want you there, but he cannot deny how glad he is you’ve come.

Kreacher eyes you with distrust, but stays quiet in deference to his young master. Yoongi has told you little about what is to follow, though he asked you to fill four vials with Dogbreath potion. You brought three regular ones and the experimental version you made, mixed with an oil to make it temporarily impervious to water. Yoongi’s placed a locket on your neck, telling you to keep it safe. Still, you have no idea what will happen tonight, and it is only the thought of Yoongi’s face at your flat, vulnerable and desperate, that keeps you from bolting.

Fear sits heavy in the pit of your stomach, and you reach out for Yoongi’s hand in the dark. He grasps it and pulls you close, and you feel his nose against your own before you tilt your head up, kissing him in the dark. You close your eyes, and for a moment, you’re standing at the window of Ravenclaw tower, the stars twinkling down on you. You can taste the salt on his mouth, not knowing if the tears are yours or his. In your kiss are all the stolen moments in the library, where both of you ignored the parts you had to play, the press of his mouth against your own like a final blessing. You break apart too soon, and you hold back the sobs that threaten to choke, the thought that this may be the last time it will happen.

You both cast Lumos, and Kreacher points up at a door that neither you nor Yoongi would have seen. Yoongi takes a knife from his pocket and lets drops of his blood drip onto the door, which shudders open, the rusty hinges creaking. To your relief, the door does not shut, but the light from your wands give no clue as to what’s inside. Yoongi holds you back when you step in, lighting the ground below with his wand. Five more steps, and you would have fallen into the eerily calm lake that takes up nearly the entire inner cave. You hold your breath as Kreacher gestures again, this time to a chain dangling from the ceiling, pointing to the island in the middle of the lake. Yoongi approaches it, pulling at the chain and revealing an invisible boat. He places it on the water and gets in, and the water remains undisturbed, but when you try to  step in, he shakes his head frantically, not allowing you to follow. Kreacher steps in after him, and the boat moves across the boat with Kreacher’s magic. Yoongi gets off and nods at you from the island, allowing Kreacher to go back for you.

When you get to the island, you find Yoongi facing a basin, a serious look on his face. “Have you tried everything?” you murmured, like any sound in this cave would wake things too terrible to name. He nods solemnly before placing his mouth to the rim, preparing to drink. You gasp quietly and reach out to stop him, but something holds you in place, and Kreacher stands in front of you sternly.

As he drains the liquid, he begins to shudder and his chest heaves. “No,” Yoongi says, the tears streaming down his face, his body curled over onto the basin. He's looking at something over your shoulder, but when you turn, there’s nothing there. “Don’t leave! Don’t!”

“I won’t, Yoongi!” you say, biting back the tears. Kreacher has still not let you go, and you realize that Yoongi’s ordered him to do this to you. The house elf is watching his master with pleading eyes, as if begging him not to do this.

Yoongi does not seem to hear you, shaking his head and continuing to drink. When the basin is completely empty, he gestures at Kreacher, and you run to Yoongi’s side. At the bottom of the basin is a locket identical to the one around your neck. You take yours off immediately and swap it for the one in the basin. As you put it on, you feel as if a weight’s been placed on your shoulders, a despair seizing you. You watch dully as Yoongi reaches for water, tries conjuring some up and eventually bends down to the lake’s edge to drink. It’s when you see a hand reach up for him that you wake from your daze, casting Expelliarmus at the hand that tries to drag Yoongi in.

Kreacher pulls Yoongi back from the surface, and you take a gulp of Dogbreath potion, breathing out hard to ward off the Inferi that have started to climb out of the water. You gesture wildly at Kreacher, who levitates Yoongi’s body into the boat and begins to make their way across. You toss Kreacher a Dogbreath potion and continue to blow flames at the Inferi, narrowly avoiding your foot in the process. Yoongi is still barely moving as they land nearer the entrance to the cave, and you see Kreacher stand there, looking at you. You see his intent, how easy it would be for them to leave you behind, and you call out Yoongi’s name desperately. “Please, Yoongi, please wake up,” you say, as you uncork the last vial of Dogbreath. You see Yoongi wave an arm up, and immediately Kreacher boards the boat to return for you.

“Thank you, Kreacher,” you say, finding it difficult to resent the house elf. You too would not choose to leave Yoongi’s side, especially in the state he’s in. Still, you feel heavy with fear until Kreacher yanks at the chain of the locket, gesturing for you to place it on him. As soon as it’s off you, you’re clear-headed enough to plan your next steps. You shut the heavy door behind you before kneeling onto the ground, cradling Yoongi’s body in your arms.

His pulse is weak and his lips are dry, and you immediately try to conjure water for him. Mercifully enough, you’re able to, and Yoongi finally, finally opens his eyes. Before you can say anything, Yoongi looks at Kreacher again, who apparates you back to your flat before disappearing, the locket’s weight stooping his back more than usual. You wait for him to follow, watching the clock tick slowly.

With dawn comes the knowledge that you will never see Min Yoongi again.

* * *

 It is an hour till the sun rises, your partner tells you. The two of you are assigned to the night watch, the last shift before the Order moves its headquarters. You’re new and a pureblood, so Moody assigns you to one of their staunchest members. “Min, keep an eye on her,” he’d said, and you can’t hide the look of shock on your face at finally meeting Min Yoongi’s older brother.

He’s more traditionally handsome that Yoongi, his shoulders broad and features strong. His easy laughter and charming winks mark his differences from Yoongi, but you watch him closely and see the similarities: the nose scrunches, the proud smirks, and the gummy smiles. When you first see him, you resist the urge to burst into tears. Now, the sight of him brings with it a dull ache, a longing that will never go away. It’s been nearly a year, and it’s only now that you’re beginning to accept that Yoongi is gone forever.

Yoongi’s older brother nods silently at you, apparating off to the next location. Before you can follow, however, four hooded figures appear, and you groan.

Thankfully, you see them before they see you, and you’re able to hit one of them with a full-body bind, leaving three of them for you to fight. You cast a spell that has another one thrown against a lamp post. You’re in the back alley of a mostly muggle district, and you’re praying no one passes by. Your non-spell hand is hit with some kind of paralysis hex, and your arm begins to tingle painfully, till it feels like it’s on fire. You fall to the ground, the curses flying around you, when you hear the footfalls of someone running from behind you. You raise your wand arm, eyes half shut from the pain, trying to aim at the hooded figures as they stand in the shadow, the sky above beginning to streak with orange.

The person from before runs in front of you, his worn sneakers skidding to a halt a foot in front of your face. You cannot see his face, but the scent of citrus is impossible to mistake. You drink a numbing potion and get to your feet, and Min Yoongi reaches out for your hand. You can’t feel his fingers threaded between yours, but the sparks up your arm are no longer from pain. You raise your wands in synch, twin smiles on your faces.

With dawn comes nothing sure, no destiny to live up to, nothing but the firm, solid grip of his hand in yours as the two of you stand to fight.  



End file.
